Athletes

Go the distance to earn the title

The IRONMAN story began back in 1978 during an awards banquet for the Waikiki Swim Club, when John Collins, a Naval Officer stationed in Hawai`i, and his wife Judy, began playing with the idea of combining the three toughest endurance races on the island into one race. They decided to issue a challenge to see who the toughest athletes were: swimmers, bikers, or runners.

On February 18, 1978, 15 competitors, including Collins, came to the shores of Waikiki to take on the first-ever IRONMAN challenge. The event remains the same today a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finishing with a full 26.2 mile marathon.

No one would have predicted the demand from ordinary members of the public to take on the IRONMAN challenge and to bridge the gap between standard distance triathlons and the full IRONMAN distance, the concept of a half distance, known as 70.3, because of the combination of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run.

Since its inception, IRONMAN has been represented by ambitious and courageous individuals who aren't afraid to push their limits. It's amazing what people have overcome to pursue their dream of becoming an IRONMAN, and despite the fact that every year we believe that their stories can't be topped, season after season we're proven wrong.

There are currently over 200,000 athletes racing either full or 70.3 distance events across the globe. IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun is part of this impressive roster of events.

Athletes range from 18 to over 80 and from all different walks of life and athletic backgrounds. As we’ve seen over and over again throughout the years, the mind is the most powerful element in the human body. An IRONMAN triathlon is arguably the most difficult one-day sporting event in the world, but if you have an open mind and the drive, you can do it.